Still Torturing, 16 Months In

To the growing list of Smirky/Darth abominations Barack Obama promised to end and claimed are no longer taking place but that are, indeed, still taking place you can add secretly torturing non-terrorists.

From Digby:

The Red Cross dropped a bombshell (Tuesday):

The US airbase at Bagram in Afghanistan contains a facility for detainees that is distinct from its main prison, the Red Cross has confirmed to the BBC.

Nine former prisoners have told the BBC that they were held in a separate building, and subjected to abuse.

The US military says the main prison, now called the Detention Facility in Parwan, is the only detention facility on the base.

However, it has said it will look into the abuse allegations made to the BBC.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that since August 2009 US authorities have been notifying it of names of detained people in a separate structure at Bagram.

"The ICRC is being notified by the US authorities of detained people within 14 days of their arrest," a Red Cross spokesman said.

"This has been routine practice since August 2009 and is a development welcomed by the ICRC."

The spokesman was responding to a question from the BBC about the existence of the facility, referred to by many former prisoners as the Tor Jail, which translates as "black jail".

There have been reports of abuses in this separate prison and the military has subsequently denied the prison's existence. The military lied.

Read the whole thing.